Friday, April 20, 2007

How resourceful are you?

I've always wanted to be one of those people who can make something out of nothing. Sort of like Martha Stewart but without the expense account. I once saved all the shoulder pads from a bunch of old blouses with the idea that I would make a quilt out of them, and in my candlemaking phase, I saved all the leftover wax from any candles I had to make new ones. I sort of stopped that when I found out I could buy a big candle for a buck at the Dollar Store, but I still have my moments when I don't want to throw something away.

At my office, I've been known cut stacks of old documents to make scrap paper pads and I even saved my kids' old crayons up when we got the Crayola Crayon Factory for Christmas one year. [We used it exactly once and the kids don't color with the new crayons we made because they're 'too pretty.']

Maybe it's the pioneer spirit in me. I figure I must have been a pioneer during one of my lives and that rears up and inspires me to want to make wreaths out of the grape vines that grow wild in my back yard or plant seedlings in plastic pudding cups.

I used to think I was pretty good at this recycling stuff. I tried and I'm sure I saved a buck or two here and there by hanging on to the salt and pepper packets that come with the fast food salad sporks, but then I saw this in the Riplpey's Museum and I realized, I can't hold a reconstituted candle to some people.




The dryer lint mural. Here is a woman with pioneer spirit I'll never be able to match.

On that note, I'm going to go make Christmas ornaments out of used toilet paper rolls. Have a day.

6 comments:

Erica Ridley said...

When I was a teenager and sharing an apartment with a friend, one night we sat on the porch while I sewed (my) old bras into tank tops so I wouldn't have to deal with bra straps showing (or hiking up a strapless a dozen times a day). I forgot about that day after my friend and I parted ways (I live 1000 miles away) but I got an email from her a while back when tank tops with built in bras were all the rage. She wanted to know if I'd patented my idea and if I were rich now. (Uh... no, and no.) But I do like to make things, do hands-on craft. I'm not a quilter, but I'm a scrapbooker, and I love that as a method to relax and be creative. (When I'm not writing! *g)

The dryer lint mural, though... not sure I'd've ever come up with that one! =)

Anonymous said...

ROFL -- Where do you find this stuff?

I always want to be MacGyver more than a Martha....

Two Voices Publishing said...

ROFL -- Where do you find this stuff?

It finds me.

Erica, I've done some scrapbooking, but I find it overwhelming - too many choices of things to put on the page. I could go broke buying all the cute little stickers and background pages...agggh!

Cora Zane said...

Hehe! I used to save candle wax for the day I would someday have a candle maker. Now I have jars of wax... and still no candle maker. Hehe! Great post! ^_^

Happy Friday :)

Two Voices Publishing said...

LOL! Cora - I save candle wax like I live in the 17th Century. I love candles and I have them all over but I very rarely light them, so I'll never be in dire need of a candle unless the power goes out for a month or two [heaven forbid!]

Angela's Designs said...

I'm not sure I'd even think of making a mural of drier lint! People can be so creative.